Lockhart State Park Review & Rating

Lockhart State Park Overview:

Review of Lockhart State Park

Located on 263 acres, Lockhart State Park is 2 miles west of Lockhart and was constructed by the Civilian conservation Corp (CCC) between 1935 and 1938 and it opened as a State Park in 1941. Many of the CCC structures from the 30’s still remain including the Recreation Hall and the rock dams and bridges along Clear Fork Creek.

Lockhart State Park is a small park with 20 sites for tents and RVs. The Park has several amenities to enjoy including a pool and 9 hole golf course. The Park is clean and well maintained and the staff is friendly.

Amenities and Fun Things To Do:

The 10 RV sites at Lockhart State Park are in a circle with a view of a couple of the golf course holes. All of the sites are back-in, fairly level (jacks or blocks may be required in the front or back to get perfectly level), pretty wide and spacious, and most have some trees for shade. Each site has 20/30/50 AMP service, sewer, and water hook-ups plus a covered wooden picnic table on a concrete pad, a fire ring, and a grill. The sites are long and wide enough for rigs up to 45 feet with quad slides and the roads are paved – big rigs shouldn’t have much problem getting into the sites.

There are also 10 tent sites that are across from the RV sites and located along the creek. Each of the sites have water and electric, fire ring, picnic table, and grill. The area is well shaded with red and live oaks, cedar elms, pecan, and mesquite trees. You won’t have any problem finding a level space for your tent. Parking is just a few yards from each site's picnic table.

A restroom with a shower is located near the entrance to the RV camping circle and across the street from the tent sites. The restroom is dated but clean and functional.

One of the reasons to camp at Lockhart State Park is to enjoy all of the Park amenities, which include:

a nine hole golf course – read our review of Lockhart State Park Golf Course to learn more about the course

a big swimming pool with a diving board and lifeguards plus a kids splash pool with a water fountain (a small fee may apply)

day use and picnic area with a picnic shelter, kids playground, and basketball court

volleyball court near the pool area

three sets of one mile long trails for hiking and biking – the nature trail has markers identifying the plants

Sitting on a tall bluff in the park is a recreation hall that was built by the CCC and is available for rent for special occasions like family or group reunions, parties, or weddings. It has tables and chairs, restrooms, a large common area with a fireplace, two small private rooms, central heat and air, and a full kitchen with stove, oven and refergerator. A stone patio with picnic tables has a stunning view of the surrounding countryside and is perfect for a picnic, party, or get together.

The Lockhart State Park Rangers claim that the fishing in Clear Fork Creek is very good and the creek is stocked each year with catfish, bass, and sunfish. A series of five rust colored rock dams built by the CCC form pools with fish just waiting for you. Last year a 5 pound bass was pulled out of the creek! A Texas fishing license is not required to fish within the State Park.

The Lockhart State Park Golf Course is the only State Park run golf course in Texas and it’s a 9 hole par 35 course with three sets of tee boxes and yardages ranging from 4812 to 5978 yards. After the course opened it was known for having the highest elevated tee box on one of the holes. Electric golf carts or pull carts are available for rent. Green and cart fees are reasonable and you can pay for 9 or 18 holes. Read our review of Lockhart State Park Golf Course to learn more about it.

Keep your eyes open and you’ll likely spot a wide variety of wildlife including: deer, coyote, bobcat, fox, raccoon, opossum, armadillos, nutria, rabbits, and a variety of birds including wild turkey. Also keep you eyes out for several types of snakes.

The Park office has ice, hiking sticks, hats, and tee shirts and more available for sale.

A Typical Texas Outsider Day:

We came to Lockhart State Park to breat up a trip, play some golf, enjoy camping, and try some BBQ. Chisholm Trail BBQ was recommended so we gave it a try and found it to be average. The price is low, the BBQ is ok, and they have lots of sides to choose from.

The next day we played nine holes of golf and enjoyed it. Following that we rode bikes on one of the trials and then headed to the pool to cool off.

Then back to the site for some barbaqued pork chops. The next day we were off for New Braunfels for golf and a stay at T Bar M.

Cool Nearby Activities:

Two miles from the Park is the BBQ Capital of Texas – Lockhart. It’s home to two of the State’s top rated BBQ restaurants plus several more. Chisholm Trail was recommended so we gave it a try – great prices, a wide variety of sides, and ok BBQ.

Lockhart and the surrounding area are rich in history, for example, in 1840 the Battle of Plum Creek was fought just a few miles from the Park and in the late 1860’s Lockhart became the starting point for the Chisholm Trail and quickly developed as a regional trading center in the 1870’s. The Dr Eugene Clark Library was built in the early 1900’s and is the oldest continuously existing library in operation in Texas.

In addition to the Library, Lockhart is home to a popular city park, several fun annual events, the Gaslight-Baker Theater, the Old County Jail Museum, and the Old Southwest Clock Museum.

Austin and all it has to offer is only 60 minutes from the Park and it doesn’t take long to get to Schlitterbaun in New Braunfels or the very popular the San Marcos Outlet Mall. There are also several other nearby golf courses.

Campsites: low scores are given for sites that are right next to each other (good for getting to know your neighbors, but not what we’re looking for when we’re camping); have no lantern holder, no water or electricity, no fire pit, no grill, or no picnic table (or it’s rotten wood); have no trees and no view; the ground cover is crushed rock (my bare feet hate that stuff!); and they require a lot of work to get your rig level.

Things To Do: Bonus points are given for campgrounds that offer lots of fun things to do at the park or very nearby – this includes: biking, hiking, climbing, boating, entertainment, golf, swimming, fishing, volleyball, horseshoes, and more

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